Western Pennsylvania’s first significant snowfall of the season will hit Tuesday morning during rush hour and is expected to dump up to 5 inches in spots.

Liana Lupo, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said precipitation will likely begin between 3-4 a.m.

The heaviest snow is expected from 5-8 a.m. during workers’ commutes.

“During that time, you can expect snowfall rates up to 1 inch an hour,” Lupo told TribLive Monday. “It should be slowing down by 9 (a.m.)”

Most of the snow should stop falling in the greater Pittsburgh area by 12-1 p.m.

Lupo said the area is looking at accumulation of 3-5 inches.

The highs will be between 34-36 degrees on Tuesday, she said, with lows in the mid- to upper-20s. Farther north, lows will be in the lower 20s.

“It’s supposed to kind of remain cold,” Lupo said. “There could be some melting. I wouldn’t expect enough to completely melt 3-5 inches of snow, but it could make it lower and a little bit more compact.”

Areas along the ridge lines in the Appalachians may also see some mixed snow and freezing rain Tuesday, including eastern Westmoreland, Indiana and Fayette counties.

Snowy rush hour

Getting to work Tuesday morning is going to be difficult, according to Lupo.

“I would say take it easy,” she said. “It’ll all be over by the afternoon.”

Along with the likely accumulation, drivers will also experience slick roads and low visibility during the heaviest snowfall, Lupo said. People should watch for school delays.

Lupo advised delaying plans until later in the day Tuesday if possible.

“If you don’t have to go out tomorrow morning, or if you have plans tomorrow morning, maybe try to push them off until … it gets better,” she said.

Winter is here to stay

Lupo said there could be snow on Thursday and Friday, but nothing significant like Tuesday.

“It’s looking like under an inch,” she said. “Probably just some light snow showers that really won’t accumulate to a lot on those days .”

As for temperatures, winter is here to stay in Western Pennsylvania.

Wednesday morning will see lows in the low 20s, and Thursday’s forecast is much the same.

Friday’s low is projected to be around 12 degrees, Lupo said.

Preparations underway

Allegheny County says it’s ready for the storm. It’s planning to grapple with 2-4 inches starting overnight into Tuesday afternoon.

When snowfall starts, the county plans to deploy 20 salt trucks with plows to treat 357 miles of roads, according to county Public Works Director Stephen Shanley.

More trucks will be added during morning rush hour as needed.

Shanley said the county’s 9,837 tons of salt and 2,615 gallons of liquid calcium chloride is “more than enough.”

That said, Shanley warned motorists of occasional slick spots because of the lag time for plow drivers to cover their routes and then restock with salt at a maintenance garage.

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